Shadow Ranch
by RossLover2012
Summary: Ally is sent to live with her aunt at Shadow Ranch after a horrible train of events happen. She meets a boy that makes her feel whole again. But when they get closer and he starts drifting away, she feels like everyone she loves leaves her or is taken away. And then she finds out what he's been hiding and it changes everything. OOC! AUSLLY! GIVE IT A TRY!
1. Chapter 1

Nothing ever goes right for me. It's like I am cursed. Did I do something horrible as a child that I forgot about that is causing me this much pain? Did I sell my soul to the devil on some drunken night that I don't remember? All I know is; everything has changed.

My mother just passed away in an automobile accident. It was a one vehicle crash; she ran into a guardrail head on and died instantly, at least that's what they are saying. The weather was bad; it was down pouring, lightening, thundering. She should have pulled over until it passed like she usually did. I don't know why she didn't, and that makes me feel worse.

Not only did it wreck my life, it also wrecked my fathers. He went back to drinking. He used to be an alcoholic when he met my mother and she got him to stop, and now that's all he does since she's been gone, which has caused him to be mean. He has never hit me, but it doesn't mean he won't. He says I remind him of her too much; he can't even look at me half the time.

One morning when he stayed sober for more than a half hour, he decided the best thing for me would be to ship me off to live with my Aunt Mara. She lives in Texas on her ranch that's called 'Shadow Ranch'. Lucky for me it's the beginning of the summer so I don't have to worry about the new school just yet. And once I turn eighteen, I can leave.

And to top it all off, my boyfriend Mark of a year broke up with me because he doesn't 'do long distance relationships'. And my best friend Sally called me and told me she heard he's already hooking up with other girls. So yeah, I guess I have a reason to say my life sucks.

()()()()()()

My father and I's goodbye was short… Because he didn't even get up in time to say anything to me. He didn't even have the decency to roll out of his hung over state for five minutes to say goodbye to his only child. The sadder part is I'm not surprised. I tossed and turned all night wondering how the goodbye was going to go if it were to happen, and I didn't see it going well.

My taxi turns down what looks like a very long dirt road. The bumps are making me queasy and I shut my eyes and take a deep breath. We're here, I know it and I'm nervous. I've met my aunt one time. She came to visit my father (her brother) when I was about ten. She only stayed overnight and it went by so fast, I barely got to talk to her.

I open my eyes when I feel the car come to a stop. I see a bunch of barns, and many farm animals and an old beaten up wooden sign that read 'Shadow Ranch'. "Here's your stop miss." The taxi driver says.

"Thank you." I tell him and hand him his money as I get out. The dirt ground feels weird under my worn out converse.

I grab my backpack and two suitcases out of the taxi and he speeds away, making dust fly everywhere. I look over and see the farm house. It's huge, and white, and modern. I figured it'd be an old building that could fall apart at any moment.

A black haired woman comes out of the house then and walks over to me. "Oh Ally!" She says and hugs me tight.

"Hi." I say against her shoulder.

"You've grown up!" she says.

"Well I was only ten the last time you saw me and now I'm sixteen so I'd say."

She laughs, "Oh jeez, I don't know what I was thinking letting a sarcastic teenager come live with me. I already deal with another one!"

"I didn't know you had a young kid?" I question.

She laughs again, "Oh don't be silly. Of course I don't. I'm just talking about a young boy that works for me. He's around your age." She says and then grabs one of my bags, "Here, I'll help you."

She guides me into the house, which is even more beautiful on the inside. Everything is country style and there are so many windows that let the beautiful sunshine in. We go upstairs and she shows me my room. It looks like a master bedroom. I even get my own bathroom, which I didn't expect. I'm really not thrilled to be here, but it sure is nice.

"Thanks." I tell her.

She nods and rests her hand on my shoulder, "I am really sorry about everything that is happening. I just wish your father…" She starts but shakes her head, "I'm just sorry."

"It's not your fault." I tell her.

"Well I sure hope you will make yourself at home." She says.

She gives me a tour of the house real quick and tells me to un-pack while she makes lunch for us. So I go back up stairs and toss my clothes in a big white wardrobe in the corner of the room. I take the picture I have of me and my mom and set it on my bedside table. It's the last picture we took together. We went to the lake one sunny day and had a picnic and it was just one of the best days ever. I'm so glad I at least have this picture to really remember it by.

I change from my tank top into a comfortable baggy tee shirt to go with my ripped jeans and go downstairs to the kitchen. It's one of the most beautiful eat in kitchens I've ever seen. It's like something you see in magazines, and it must have cost a lot of money.

My aunt is setting down a plate of sandwiches on the table as I enter, so I walk over and take a seat. "Help yourself." She says as I eye the turkey sandwiches. I grab a half and take a bite. The bread is definitely homemade, and I know the lettuce and tomato are from her huge garden.

"Wow, this is delicious." I say with a mouth full.

She giggles and takes a seat across from me, pouring us a glass of fresh squeezed lemonade.

"Thank you." She says and grabs her own piece.

Well, I definitely don't mind this fine dining now. But it still doesn't feel like home, and I don't know if it ever will. Home is where my mother was…

"When you're done you can take a walk around the place and check it out. I have some pickles I need to jar and then I'm knitting this blanket for our neighbors Tom and Bailey. They just had a little girl." She says.

My aunt is the type of person that's always doing something with either food, or crafts. She loves to do stuff for others too. Even though she didn't visit often, I could always count on having a quilted blanket in the house that she would send every Christmas.

"Okay." I tell her as I pick up my dishes.

"Dinner is always at six o'clock sharp!" She says and I do thumbs up as I walk out the door.

I stop and look around; I don't even know where to start. She has so much property and so many different things going on, oh and many farm hands. I see a group of chickens and head for them then. When I get to them I realize they have the coolest chicken coop. I could go in there and sit with them if I wanted to it's so big.

The rooster stops in front of me and stares, and I stare back. I'm waiting for it to attack me but instead it gets bored and walks away. I shrug at it and walk towards the cows that are fenced in near one of the big barns. One of the cows is near the fence chewing on its cud, looking away from me.

"So this is my life now; surrounded by a bunch of smelly animals." I say out loud.

"Well that's not nice, you just hurt her feelings." A voice says from behind me. I jump back and turn around. A boy around my age, maybe a couple years older, is walking towards me carrying a bale of hay. He's tall, like _really_ tall compared to me and is muscular. His shaggy blonde hair is full of sweat and his muscle shirt is showing off _all_ of his muscles.

"I thought I was alone." I say, watching him as his throws the hale bale into the barn next to me.

"You're never alone here. Either one of the workers are around, or the animals. And now you're going around insulting them." He says, showing off his beautiful white teeth.

"Well they do smell." I say.

"You get used to it."

I shake my head, "I don't think so."

"So if you don't mind me asking, who are you?" He says.

"I'm Ally; Mara's niece." I say and cross my arms.

His eyes bug out for just a second and he suddenly stands up straighter, "Oh! Hi. I didn't know you were coming so soon. I'm Austin." He says and puts out his hand. His dirty, sweaty hand…

I cautiously take it and shake it quickly, causing him to laugh, "Please tell me you aren't one of those city girls that hates getting dirty."

"Well I'm from New York, but I lived far from the city. I don't care about dirt, but some strangers sweat well…"

"Hey, you know my name now. We are acquaintances." He says.

I roll my eyes but smile, "Whatever you say."

"Well I have stuff to do. See you around Ally." He says as he turns around and walks off.

"See you." I say, but I don't think he heard me.

Well, I didn't think my aunt would have hot workers…


	2. Chapter 2

I enter the kitchen at five of six and my aunt is setting down a bowl of potato salad on the table. I notice there are four plates set up. I walk over to the counter and grab a cherry tomato, popping in my mouth, "Who is joining us for dinner?" I ask.

"Well my good friend Buzz, he fixes everything that needs to be fixed around here, and then my other hard worker Austin." She says as she takes a piece of chicken out of the fryer.

"Austin's eating with us?" I ask, biting at my nail.

"Yes, I figured you'd like to meet someone your age here."

"I actually met him earlier when I was walking around." I say and take my seat.

"Oh did you? Well then it will be a little less awkward for you then."

There's a knock on the door then and she leaves the room. I straighten up and pat down the top of my hair and realize how stupid I am being right as they all walk in the room. I stand up and aunt Mara introduces me to Buzz, "Nice to meet you pretty lady!" He says with a strong accent as he shakes my hand roughly.

"And you know Austin." Aunt Mara says.

I'm surprised when I see him. He's really cleaned up since earlier. His white tee shirt and jeans are very clean and his fluffy hair is dry and very blonde. He even smells _really_ good. "Ally," he says with a smile, "nice to see you again."

I nod at him and we all take our seats. As we eat, my aunt and Buzz do most of the talking, until they remember I'm there and Buzz starts asking me questions, "So how do you like it here so far?"

"Well, it's still my first day." I say, shrugging.

"How long are you staying?" Austin asks.

I look at my aunt and then back at my plate, "Well, I'm living here until I can decide on my own when I'm eighteen."

"What made you decide to come here?" Austin asks.

I look at my aunt again. I hate that nobody knows the reason I'm here, because that means if I want them to know the truth about me, I'm the one that has to tell them, and I can barely stand thinking about it rather telling.

"I didn't decide to come here. My father sent me here." I say.

"Oh." Austin says, "Well you're lucky you get this awesome cooking every day." He says, changing the subject, which I'm thankful for.

"Austin, you have been working here since you were fifteen, you have gotten four years of my cooking." My aunt says and laughs.

Wow, I didn't realize he was three years older than me, "Yeah well that's not long enough!" Austin says and shoves another pile of potato salad into his mouth.

"I always told you that you should be a chef." Buzz says.

My aunt blushes and shakes her head, "Jeez guys. Stop with the compliments!"

After we are done with dinner, Buzz and Austin do the dishes as my aunt and I drink iced tea out on the porch. I'm half way through my glass when my aunt speaks up, "Austin's a sweet kid isn't he?"

"Well I've only known him since earlier but he seems nice."

"He's a good working that boy."

"I didn't realize he wasn't my age." I say.

"Ah, age is just a number." She says.

I raise an eyebrow, "You aren't trying to set me up with him are you?" I ask.

She shakes her head, "Me? What? No." she says, but she sounds guilty.

"Well don't even think about it. I just got out of a long relationship and I'm still upset over it. Everyone I love leaves me. I don't need a guy to break my heart here."

"Oh Ally, I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"We are done with the dishes! And now the fun begins!" Austin says as he runs out onto the porch.

"What fun?" I question.

"Oh, uh there's just this party down the road tonight. I was going to invite you but I didn't think you would want to go since it's only your first night."

I nod, "You're right."

"But maybe another time?" he asks hopefully.

"Sure." I say and smile.

We say our goodbyes to him and Buzz and I go upstairs to my room. I look out my window and watch Austin get into an old red Chevy pickup and drive away. I wonder what parties are like here? Probably boring compared to the ones I went to at home. Who am I kidding? I was never invited to parties. That drunken night where I could have sold my soul? I stole my parents wine bottle and drank in my room.

()()()()

After lunch a couple days later, I found Austin by the chicken coop. Not that I was looking for him. I just happen to spot him or shall I say his legs poking out from _under_ it. "You okay under there?" I ask.

He slides out from under and stands up, brushing dirt off of him. He's in a baggy gray tee shirt today and carhart pants, his hair all sweaty again, "Yes. Everything's good now, except the coop door is broken."

I look it over for a minute and shrug, "It should be easy."

"Well here you go then." He says and hands me the hammer.

"Uh…" I say and stare at it.

"I'm kidding." He says and takes it back.

"It just needs a new hinge, which like you said will only take a minute."

"I know my stuff." I say and laugh.

After I watch him fix it, he takes a seat on the hay next to me, "So are you happy that you're here?"

I shrug, "Yes and no. I'd like to be here for a better reason."

"Well, I don't know why you're here, and I'm not going to ask you to tell me. That's your decision.

"Thank you." I say and scan his face. He has like perfect cheek bones.

"I do hope you like it here though. I know I do. But I've been here my whole life."

"You aren't going to college or anything?" I ask him.

He shakes his head, "No, not right now anyway. I didn't want to abandon your aunt. I really like this job too. Maybe when I have enough saved up I'll take my community college courses."

"My aunt seems to have a lot of help."

"Well she really loves living on the ranch, she just doesn't want to deal with anything besides her garden, and her kitchen of course."

"I really don't even know her." I say.

"Really?" he asks, confused.

"Yeah, I met her once when I was ten and that's it."

"Well this must be uncomfortable for you then." He says.

"You have no idea."

He looks down at his watch after a while of us talking, "Oh wow, it's almost six. We have been talking for a while. I still have stuff to do."

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you late."

He stands up then, "Hey, don't apologize. I enjoyed our chat."

He puts his hand out to help me up. I take it cautiously and am taken aback to the butterflies I get at his touch. "Thanks."

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" he says with a smile.

"You sure will."

()()()()()()()

"Austin didn't want to join us for dinner?" my aunt asks as I devour her spaghetti and meatballs.

"He had some work to do."

"Well that boy never works this late."

I grab a spoon and start swirling another fork full of noodles on it, "We were talking and lost track of time."

My aunt grins at her food, "Oh, I see."

"Don't smile like that… It's nothing."

"I believe you." She says.

()()()()()

After dinner I took a shower and came up to my room. I stare at the picture of mom and me as I think back to my favorite memories with her and I start to tear up. I haven't fully cried since I heard about her death. I don't know why, but it's like I can't, just like I can't talk to anybody about it. I wanted to be able to talk about it with my dad, when I really needed him but I couldn't, so I just kept it bottled up inside.

I set the picture down when I hear a vehicle outside. I look out my window and I see Austin. He's driving towards one of the fields near the back barn. I look at the clock and it's almost midnight. I take my wet hair out of my towel and brush it quickly before throwing on a pair of skinny jeans and an oversized sweatshirt before throwing on my old pair of converse.

I tip toe past my aunt's room and out the back door. I jog over towards the barn and his truck is off. I walk over to the back of it and he is sitting on his tailgate that is down, staring straight ahead. I follow his gaze to the field and there are millions of fireflies. It's actually beautiful.

"Woah." I say out loud.

"Awesome isn't it?" He asks.

I walk over and take a seat next to him, "I'd say. Do you do this a lot?"

"Every chance I get."

I watch the beautiful scene in front of me, but I realize the better scene is beside me; him. The way he looks out to the field; the way he really sees the beauty in it. The way his shaggy blonde hair is falling in his eyes and his dark green sweatshirt hugs him tightly and the way his big hands are rested on his knees. And I realize those butterflies are back, and I should run away from them.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ally dear, can you go get Austin for me? I have to ask him to go to town for me." She asks me over her newspaper.

"Why can't you go?" I ask.

She laughs, "I don't drive."

"You mean, like do you not have you license?" I ask.

She shakes her head, "Nope."

"Well I can go for you." I tell her.

"No dear, you wouldn't know where to go. You can go with him though."

"No thanks." I say coldly.

"Well why not?" She asks curiously.

"Because…"

"I just thought it would be good for you two to hangout since you are close in age." She says.

"I know…"

"Well you don't have to, I'll just go tell him then…" She starts.

I stand up then, "I got it!"

I walk around the coop and there's no sign of him. He could be anywhere. I sigh and walk over to one of the other works. Her name is Nancy, she's an older woman and she's cleaning out a pig pen, "Hey, have you seen Austin?" I ask.

"I haven't seen him today." She says and shrugs.

After what feels like forever, I see his truck pulling in. I run over and he cranks down his window, "Why hello there." He says.

"I've been looking for you."

He smiles, "Oh sorry I had to come late."

"Well my aunt wants me and you to go to town and buy her some things." I say.

"Oh, yeah it's that time of week where she has me go to the store and buy some supplies. Hop in." he says.

I walk over to the other side and jump into his truck. It's very clean which surprises me since he's a boy and he's always getting dirty at work. I put on my seat belt and turn to him, "Well I would have gone myself but she thinks I'd get lost."

He laughs, "I don't think you would get lost but it would be nice to know where you're going first."

"Well then after this I can go myself."

"Well it sounds like you don't want to hang out with me." He says and makes a pouting face.

I roll my eyes, "Just drive you puppy dog."

After an hour of going to the grocery store and then the tractor supply place, we are finally back at the ranch. There's no way I could ever go by myself. I wouldn't even be able to lift everything that we bought alone.

"You two did well!" My aunt says.

"Well of course we did." Austin beams.

I roll my eyes, "You people get excited about the silliest things here."

"Hey!" Austin whines.

My aunt laughs "Come on in for some lunch you two."

My aunt made us toasted cheeses and tomato soup, which I found very normal and odd for her but it was homemade soup of course and delicious. It was funny to watch Austin eat it all so fast, his face lighting up at each bite.

"So Austin, do you live with your parents?" I ask.

"I live with my dad. My mom passed away when I was six." He says.

"Oh, I'm sorry." I tell him.

"It's okay."

I can feel my aunt's eyes on me, and I know this is when I should say something about my mom, but I just don't want to.

"Well I have stuff to do, thanks for lunch Mara!" He says as he stands up. He looks down at me and grins "See you later."

I smile back at him, "Bye."

My aunt takes his seat after he leaves and stares at me while I finish up my soup. I sigh, "I know."

"You don't want to talk about it, I get it. But someday you're going to have to talk about it out loud. It's not good to keep it bottled up." She says.

"I know. I'm just not ready."

()()()()()()()

The next morning my aunt tells me to go help Nancy milk the cows. I was not thrilled about it, because well it doesn't seem like much fun, plus it was really early in the morning when she woke me up to do it. Nancy wasn't even thrilled to teach me. She kept telling me I was slow or doing it wrong or getting in her way. Eventually, I milked like one cow and then got told to leave.

I walk out of the barn and towards the house. I'm tired and my hairs a mess and my clothes have milk on them; I look awful. And of course, Austin is heading my way, leading a group of chickens back to the coop. He takes one look at me and covers his mouth to hide his laughter.

"Shut up." I warn.

He puts his hands up in the air, "Hey, I didn't say anything."

"Not yet." I say and walk past him to the house.

"I'm sorry!" He calls after me but I ignore him.

After I shower and change my clothes, I go down into the kitchen and my aunt and Buzz are sitting at the table talking. I walk over and take a seat next to them. "Hey Ally." Buzz says.

"Hey Buzz, how goes it?" I ask.

"I'm just taking a break from fixing the well. It sure is hot out there." He says and takes a sip of his drink.

"That it is. I was wondering if there was a good place to swim around here." I ask both of them.

"I'm sure Austin would know." He says and shrugs.

"Of course…" I say.

I decide against going to search all over for him and go out on the porch on the porch swing and read a magazine for a while. I know he will stop in eventually, but I don't know how long I can hold off swimming.

Finally after looking through the magazine four times, I see Austin walking over. God, he always looks sexy even though he's sweaty and probably stinky…

"Hey." He says.

"Where is a good place to go swimming around here?"

"I'm good, you know just a little tired but maybe a drink would be nice." He says.

I tilt my head to the side and stare at him, "What the heck are you talking about?"

He rolls his eyes, "Nothing. There's a great swimming hole just through the trees behind the field."

"When can we go?" I say, jumping up.

"Well I'm done with work now but I don't have my swimming shorts…"

"Oh just go in your boxers and get over it. Be right back!" I interrupt and run upstairs.

I throw on my black bikini and an oversized tee shirt and meet Austin back on the porch. He shakes his head at me as we start walking through the field, "So you get to change but I don't."

"You'll be okay." I tell him.

"You want to go swimming that bad huh?" he says and laughs.

We finally make it to the swimming hole and it's really nice. The water is crystal clear and clean. I take off my tee shirt and walk in slowly. Boy, it was cold but it felt nice. Austin is beside me in a minute with his shirt off and his pants on. I take one look at his abs and automatically bring my eyes back to his. I don't want him to catch me staring at his perfectly toned torso…

"So why aren't you in already?" he asks.

"It's just cold and I'm getting used to it."

"Get used to this." He says and shoves me so I fall sideways into the water. The cold water shocks me for a minute but I get used to it and go up for air. I flip my hair back from my face and cross my arms.

"That was mean." I tell him as he walks into the deeper water.

"Eh." He says.

We swim around for a couple hours until it's almost time for supper. We walk back together and I'm thankful he hasn't put his shirt back on. I throw my tee shirt over my body and put my hair up, "Thanks, I had fun." I tell him.

"Me too, even though since you've got here I've been really behind on my work." He says and laughs.

"I'm sorry, maybe we shouldn't hang out anymore." I tell him. I'm only kidding, even though I shouldn't be…

"Don't be silly." He says.

We stop up on my porch and stare at the door before he clears his throat, "So Ally, since you've been here for a week now, I was wondering If you'd like to go with me to a party tomorrow night."

"Will it be fun?" I ask.

He shrugs, "It depends on what fun is to you."

I laugh, "Okay, sure I'll go with you."

"Great, I'll pick you up at seven?"

"Okay." I tell him.

We say goodbye and I watch him walk to his truck and then drive away. I sigh and walk into the house and notice dinner is on the table already. I run upstairs and change quickly before joining my aunt at the table.

"I thought you weren't going to hang out with him much?" She asks as she passes me the corn.

"Did I say that? Oh and I guess I'm going with him to a party tomorrow night." I say.

"Is it a date?" She asks.

I pour the gravy over my piece of pork, "I don't know… I don't think so…"

She smiles, "You better look cute then."

I roll my eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

I rummage through my clothes a few hours before he's suppose to pick me up and I realize I have nothing cute to wear. They are tossed all over my room and my aunt comes in and taps her foot, "You sure are getting all worked up for something that isn't a date."

"Well all my clothes are ugly." I tell her.

"Be right back." She says.

I wait patiently for her to return and she's holding a red dress. I raise an eye brow at her, "I kept this dress from when I was younger. We were the same size. It's just a party type dress that I think you would like."

I take it from her expecting to hate it, or for it to look for old fashioned. But it's a really cute red spaghetti strap dress that isn't too dressy or too casual. "I love it." I tell her.

"It's yours then."

"Thank you." I tell her. She squeezes my shoulder and walks out of my room.

I put it on and keep my hair down normal. It really isn't a date; he's just taking me to a party. He will probably just introduce me to all his friends that are girls and they will be all over him all night. And I'll probably end up having a horrible time but hopefully there will be alcohol to distract me.

I hear Austin's truck pull in right at seven. I run down the stairs and practically run right into my aunt, "Hold your horses! Austin is a gentlemen, he will come to the door."

I sigh and roll my eyes, but sure enough there is a knock on the door. I walk over and open the door, revealing the most beautiful human being I have ever laid my eyes on, smiling at me holding a rose.

"Hi." He says with a smile.

I suddenly start blushing, and feel like an idiot, "Hi."

"Oh hello there Austin, you look nice." My aunt says from behind me.

He's dressed in black pants and a white v-neck tee shirt with a leather jacket over it. He does not look like a farm boy right now…

"Thank you Mara." He says.

He hands me the flower and I take it and smell it, "Thank you."

"Are you ready?" He asks.

I nod and follow him outside. We walk to the passenger side of the truck and he opens the door for me. As I walk by him he whispers, "You look beautiful."

His voice causes me to get goose bumps and I try to hide my idiotic looking grin and mumble thank you as I get in. He walks over and gets in on his side and buckles up, "Are you ready for your first official party here?"

"I think so."

We drive down the road for about twenty minutes and end up at what looks like a huge abandoned barn. I just stare at Austin as he turns the truck off. When he finally notices me he shrugs, "What?"

"Is this where you rape and kill me?" I ask.

"Wow! This is the party." He says and shakes his head, "I'm not a rapist."

"You didn't say you weren't a murderer." I say.

He laughs, "Just be quiet and follow me."

When we get out of the truck I can hear a low hum that must be music. I follow him to the doors and he opens one, revealing a big room full of people and amazing lights and a DJ in one corner and a whole table full of drinks and snacks.

"Holy..."

"I know. My friend Dez throws these parties all the time. We re-did this place ourselves."

"This is amazing." I say.

He motions towards the other side and I follow him to a group of people; a tall red headed kid and two blonde girls. Austin goes up to the red head and does some sorts of hand shake with him and then he turns to me, "Dez, this is Ally. Ally, this is my best friend Dez."

"Hey." He says and shakes my hand.

"These two are Bridget and Molly." He says about the blondes.

They wave or say hey and make their way to another group. "So this is Ally huh." Dez says with a grin.

"Shut up…" Austin says.

I smile, "Yeah, Austin never mentioned you."

Dez' mouth drops and he punches Austin on the arm, "Thanks a lot."

After a while of standing around drinking punch with no alcohol in it and snacking on chips, meeting all of their friends, I realize I'm having a really good time with everyone. I actually forgot about how horrible life has been going for me for a little while.

Suddenly a slow song comes on and Austin smiles and puts out his hand, "May I have this dance?"

"This feels a lot like a school dance." I tell him but still take his hand.

"Well you're still school aged so." He says and laughs as he guides me towards the middle of a bunch of other couples dancing.

"Ugh, don't remind me." I say.

I wrap my arms around his neck and keep a good distance between us. He rests his hands on my hips and we sway back and forth to the song. I smile up and him and he smiles down at me. It scares me how comfortable I am around him already. It just doesn't feel weird with him like it would anybody else. I didn't feel this comfortable around Mark until at least four months into our relationship.

"So have you been having fun?" Austin asks.

"Yes. Thank you for taking me."

"No problem." He says, "I have to paint one of the barns tomorrow morning. Maybe you could help me?"

"Sure, why not." I say.

After a while, we decide it's time to go home. We say our goodbyes to his friends and he drives me back to the house. But instead of pulling up near the door, he parks at the field like where I found him. I smile and we go to the bed of the truck and sit, watching the fireflies.

"I never thought I'd meet someone who actually enjoyed doing this like I do." He says after not talking for a while.

"Well I never thought I'd kind of enjoy living here." I say.

He turns to me then, "Well I'm glad you do."

"So do I."

()()()()()()()()()()

The next morning I'm up bright and early and meet Austin at the barn. He has a bunch of red paint and he's in ripped jeans and no shirt. Well this is going to be distracting…

"How good are you at painting?" he asks.

"Well one time I had to paint my front steps, and that went well until the mail man came and stepped all over them." I say.

He laughs, "So this isn't going to go well."

"Hey! Be nice or you will be wearing the paint."

He shrugs, "It would be your aunt's money you're wasting."

"It's my aunt that pays you." I shoot back and he shakes his head at me.

"You are something." He says.

Hours go by and we're only half done, but I'm starting to feel light headed so I take a seat and hang my head down. Austin sits down next to me and pats me on the back, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, just over heated probably."

"And dehydrated; let's go get you some water." He says.

I stand up but start to fall over and he catches my arm, "hey." He says.

"I'm sorry." I say and lean up against him.

"It's okay. I've got you."

We walk back to my house with his arm around me and well I didn't complain. He grabbed me a glass of water and we sat together at the kitchen table for a while. My aunt was somewhere with Buzz, so we had the place to ourselves.

"I should get back to work." He says.

"What, the barn?" I ask.

"No, we can finish that when you are feeling better. No hurry." He says and pats my hand that's lying on the table.

"Okay, thanks for everything." I tell him.

He smiles and stands in the doorway, "Anything for you." And he walks away.

Those dang butterflies are going crazy in my stomach and I realize, no matter how much I don't want it to happen, I'm starting to get feelings for this boy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Three weeks later…**

It's been over a month since I got here, and it's gone better than I expected. And I know a part of that is because of Austin. We hang out every day and we both work on projects around the ranch. And my aunt has been great to me. She's so much better than I expected. Everything seemed to be going well, until my father called me and it reminded me of everything that has happened.

"Ally I mi-miss you." He slurs from the other end of the phone. He's drunk. What a shocker.

"I miss you too." I say.

"Maybe this was a mistake, maybe you- you should come home."

"I can't dad. You can't take care of me like aunt Mara can."

"That's not true!" he yells and I take the phone away from my ear.

"Dad, don't do this."

"This is bullshit. You're my daughter!"

"Yeah, the daughter you sent away because you couldn't even stand me being around!" I shout into the phone, tears welling up into my eyes. My aunt comes into the room then, her face full of concern.

"Ally…"

"Just stop calling until you sober up." I say and hang up the phone. I hold my hand over my mouth and force myself not to cry.

"Ally I'm sorry." My aunt says and rests her hands on my shoulders.

"It's fine. I need some air." I say.

I walk out onto my porch and Austin is walking up the stairs. Crap. I wipe away my tears and turn away from him. He walks closer to me and rests his hand on my arm, "Hey, are you okay?"

I nod but don't say anything. His hand cups my face then and I'm taken aback by his touch, "Look at me Ally."

I bring my eyes up to meet his. "Why are you crying?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You don't feel comfortable enough to tell me what's wrong?" He asks.

I shake my head, "I'm comfortable with you Austin. I just don't want to deal with it right now, okay?"

"Okay, I'm sorry." He says, bringing his arms back to his sides.

"Let's finish the barn." I tell him and walk away.

()()()()()

Austin and Buzz come over for dinner, but I stay silent. I can't get over the phone call from my dad. I was really hoping he was getting better for me, to prove he still loves me. I don't care about moving back, I just want my _dad_ back.

"This is the best meatloaf I have ever had." Buzz announces.

"You say that every time I make it." My aunt says, laughing.

"That's because it's true."

I play with my peas with my fork and I can feel Austin's eyes on me. I know he's worried and I know I'm going to have to tell him soon. But what if he realizes how complicated my life is and doesn't want to hang around some emotionally disturbed kid?

"Austin, are you going to finish the hay in the morning?" My aunt asks.

His face turns quickly, with an expression I just can't explain, "Yeah but I'm going to be late."

My aunt and Austin exchange looks and that's the end of the conversation. I look at both of them and neither of them will look at me. I find it strange but decide to shrug it off. I mean Austin does have a life outside of Shadow Ranch.

Later that night when I'm up in my room for the night, I hear his truck coming down the driveway. I run over to my window and watch him. He parks over by the field, so I thought maybe he was going to watch the fireflies, but instead he walks over to one of the cow barns and goes inside.

I think about staying put and leaving him alone, but I can't help myself. I'm bored and well, it's Austin. So I throw sweatshirt on over my pajama shirt and shorts and put my sneakers on before going outside. I slowly walk over to the barn door and hear him talking. I walk quietly and peak threw the door. He's petting one of the cows and talking soothingly to her.

I clear my throat as I enter and he looks up at me. I walk over to where they are and pet the cow too, "Did I wake you up?" he asks.

I shake my head, "No I was already awake. Why are you here at twelve in the morning?"

"She's pregnant and I'm just checking on her." He says.

I smile, "That's sweet of you."

He shrugs, "I've done it with the horses plenty of times."

"So how is she doing?"

"She's good. No baby yet though."

"Well at least she has someone like you." I say to him and smile. He looks down at me and smiles back, causing my heart to start racing.

()()()()()()()()

A couple days later, my father tried to call again. I didn't answer the phone. I'm not going to let him bring me down again. Not today anyway.

The cow had her baby, so Austin was up all night with her and he went home to sleep it off. So I decided to look after the new born and her mother. The calf is so cute, and I love the way the mother cow just knows what to do. I love animal instincts.

"Where's Austin?" My aunt asks as I join her for lunch.

"He said he was up all night because the cow had her baby so he needed some sleep." I tell her.

"That's odd." She says as she butters her piece of bread.

"Why?"

"Well I saw him leave last night right after the cow was born and it wasn't that late."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Maybe he came back after that." She says, shrugging.

"He must have." I agree.

"So what are you doing this afternoon?" She asks.

I shrug, "Nothing."

"Well now that you and Austin have made a few trips to town, I think you know where to go. I just need a couple of things at the grocery store."

I jump up, "I'd love to!" I was going crazy from boredom and I really want to drive her old pickup.

"Here you go." She says, handing me the shopping list and her truck keys.

After a couple minutes of learning how the truck runs, I'm finally on the road. I pull into the grocery store and attempt to park. It wasn't the greatest parking job but I was pretty impressed at how it was for my first time. When I got my license only six months ago, I only drove my father's small car.

I walk around the giant grocery store and finally find all of the things on my aunt's list. As I'm carrying my bags to the truck, I look across the street and see Austin walking out of a building with who must be his father. He has the same blonde hair as him and the height. He pats him on the shoulder as they walk to his vehicle. I get into the truck and duck down a bit so they won't see me. I look over the building they came out of and realize it's a doctor's office. That's weird. Is he sick? Maybe he was so tired because he's sick.

When I get home I bring the groceries in and put them away while my aunt makes dinner. I sigh and lean against the counter when I'm done and pick up an apple from the basket on the counter and take a bite. My aunt looks at me and raises an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"

I shake my head, "Nothing."

"I know you haven't been here _that_ long but I'm really starting to know you and I can tell when something is wrong." She says.

I sigh, "Well I saw Austin coming from the doctors this morning and I thought he was just going home to sleep but maybe he's just sick."

My aunt's face drops for only a second but it was long enough for me to notice. "What?" I ask.

"He must just be…" but she's cut off by a knock on the door.

"I got it." I tell her.

I open the door to reveal Austin, who looks completely fine. I sigh with relief, "Hey." I say.

"Hello sunshine, may I stay for dinner?" He asks. I cover my mouth and giggle before motioning him inside.

"Oh hey speaking of the devil!" My aunt says.

"You two were talking about me?" He asks as he takes a seat at the table.

"Well…" I start. I sit down next to him and he looks nervous, "I was just at the store and I saw you coming out of the doctor's office."

"Ha oh here I thought I was in big trouble or something." He says.

"So you're okay?" I ask him.

He nods, "I just had a normal check up. Don't you ever go to the doctor?" He asks.

I shake my head and laugh, "Not really."

"Well maybe you should start. So what's for dinner?"

"Tacos on my home made shells." My aunt says.

"It's like you knew I was coming." He tells her.

She laughs, "Don't you always come?" Austin and I start to laugh too.

We put our tacos together and make a big mess in the process but my aunt doesn't seem to care. The tacos are the best ones I've ever tasted and I'm going to make sure she makes them again. We talk about a bunch of different things while we eat, like about the new calf and how my aunt used to ride horses in competitions and how Austin has never even ridden one. It's now one of my favorite nights since I've gotten here.

After we are all cleaned up, Austin asks if I want to go for a walk. I agree of course and we take a walk down to where we went swimming not too long ago. It's really beautiful at night, with the moons reflection on the water. I can hear all the different insects too.

We take a seat on one of the rocks near the water and start throwing little pebbles. Austin skips one and it goes really far. I attempt to and it just sinks to the bottom, causing Austin to laugh, "City girl." He says.

"I am not." I whine.

I shiver just a bit. It's not that cold out, but just enough for me to be chilly in my tank top and shorts. Austin notices and smiles, "Are you… cold?"

I shrug, "A little bit."

"Well, I don't have a sweatshirt but…" He says and slowly wraps his arm around my shoulder.

I smile at him and look away, my cheeks turning red and my heart beating so fast. Wow you would think I was a little girl who's never had a boyfriend before. This feeling is all so new to me. There's just something different about him. He rubs my shoulder with his fingers and it just gives me more goose bumps that I'm hoping he won't notice.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up about half an hour ago, but I'm still lying in my bed, looking up at my ceiling and the only thing on my mind is Austin. He's the complete opposite of Mark. And I love that. Austin is so sweet, and kind. I love how he cares about the animals here and his job. He's so carefree and happy all the time. I'm starting to think that he may just be… perfect.

"Are you ever getting up?" My aunt says from outside my door.

"Must I?" I ask.

She opens the door then and walks over to my bed, taking a seat next to me. "Are you sick?" She asks.

I laugh, "No. I've just been thinking.

She nods, "Oh of what, or should I say whom?"

I prop up on my elbows and look at her, "What?"

"Is a certain blonde on your mind?"

"No…"

She shakes her head, "You can't fool me."

"I know. I hate it." I say and we both laugh.

"Well he's out there haying." She says, motioning towards the window.

"So…"

"So get dressed, look cute and go get him!" She says.

"Oh my god aunt Mara… He doesn't even like me… I don't even know if I like him…"

"He likes you." She says.

"How do you know?" I ask.

"I can tell. I've known him since he was fifteen. He has never talked about any girls before you."

"He talks about me?" I ask.

"When you're not around he's always asking about you. He wants to know if you're okay. I think you should tell him."

"Tell him what?" I ask.

"Well about why you are really here. Why would you keep it from him?"

"Because I don't want him to think I'm some damaged girl. He doesn't need me to bring him down."

"I don't see why he wouldn't like you because of your past. His mother died too. He's had a rough life." She says.

"I know. I just haven't talked with anybody about it…"

"Well maybe he's the one to tell."

She leans down and kisses my forehead before leaving the room.

()()()()()()

I take my time getting ready and then casually go on a stroll by where Austin is. He's sweaty and tired, sitting on one of the bales. I walk over and stand in front of him, squinting from the sun light. "You okay?" I ask.

He nods, "It's hot out here."

"You should come get a glass of lemonade." I tell him.

"Okay." He says and I grab his hand and help him up.

He sits down at the counter on the stool and I pour him a glass and lean on the counter in front of him. He drinks half of it in one gulp. He sets it down and smiles, "Thank you."

"No problem."

"So; Dez is having another party tonight." He says.

I nod, "Cool. Sounds like fun."

"Hey, nobody said I was inviting you…" he says with a grin.

"Wow!" I say and punch him in the shoulder.

"Kidding, kidding. Dez really wants you to come."

I stand up and cross my arms, "Oh, just Dez?"

He smiles again, "Okay, I want you to come too."

I smile back at him but his face turns serious, "But I have to warn you about something."

"Okay."

"Well I used to date this girl. And by used to, I mean we have been broken up for like a year and a half. And she's a major Bi- um female dog. But she is good friends with Dez' girlfriend so she might be there tonight."

I laugh, "She's still not over you after all this time?"

"I think she's kind of over me, but she's just crazy and well I haven't been around a girl since her so she may react weird."

I nod, "Okay, well thanks for the warning."

"If you don't want to go I understand."

"Do you not want me to go then?" I ask.

He shakes his head, "I do. I'm just worried about you."

"I'll be fine." I tell him.

"Want to help me with the hay?"

I shrug, "Oh what the heck."

I helped stack the hay in the barn, and after a little while I was already getting tired. I don't know how he does this all this all the time. I grab another one and start lifting it but my arms feel like Jell-O and I almost miss the other hay bale it's going on but Austin grabs it just in time. I smile at him in thank you and he laughs.

"You are a weakling."

I nod and take a seat on the ground, hugging my legs "I know right."

He takes a seat in front of me and starts playing with my converse strings, "These are really old."

"I know. My mom gave them to me a couple years ago."

"Your feet haven't grown since then?" he asks and laughs.

I shake my head and smile, "No. It's a good thing; because I'd probably still force them on."

"So you are sure about the party?" He asks after a little while.

I roll my eyes, "I already told you."

"I know."

()()()()()()

I don't dress up as much as last time. I throw on one of my tank tops that stops right above my belly button and some high flowered shorts. I throw my hair up in a messy bun and put my converse on. I look casual, but kind of flirty I think…

I hear Austin's truck pull in and I don't wait for him to get to the door this time. I wave goodbye to my aunt and I run out to his truck as he's getting out. He automatically grins and goes to open my door, "Hello beautiful."

I smile like an idiot, "Hi."

On the way there he cranks up his old truck radio and we listen to different country songs that I've never heard of, but I realized something new about him; he actually has a pretty good voice. So I sit back and enjoy watching him having a great time.

"So, do you have any psycho exes?" He asks when we are almost there.

I shake my head, "I had a boyfriend, and we broke up a little while before I came here. He didn't want to do a long distance thing. Plus, he wanted to go screw all the girls because I wouldn't give him anything."

We pull up next to the barn and I realize there are a lot more people this time. "Good for you for not doing it if you aren't ready." He says as we walk over to the door.

"Thanks."

Just as I expected, there is a bunch of people. It takes a while to find Dez and this girl Cassie who I guess is his girlfriend. And then there's this other girl; she has long black straight hair, she's really tan and has beautiful eyes, and then I get a sick feeling when I realize it must be Austin's ex. She's way more attractive than me. I can't even compare.

"Hey guys." Dez says to us, followed by the same greeting from his girlfriend. Austin's ex just glares at me.

"Who's that?" she asks.

Austin rolls his eyes, "Hi Amber. This is my friend Ally."

I put my hand out to shake her hand and she just looks at it. I casually brush my hand through my hair and look away, "Where did she come from?"

"'She' is Ally, and she just moved here from New York." Dez says.

"Ally let's go get something to drink." Austin says, pulling me by my arm towards the tables.

"I'm sorry." He says.

"She's so pretty." I blurt out.

He looks at me wide eyed and pours us some punch. He hands me the cup and gets really close and leans down to my ear, "You're prettier." He whispers, sending chills down my spine. I can't help but smile.

He moves back and I look up at him and he flashes me a smile. I look over and she's heading this way. "Oh wow…" I hear Austin say.

"So Austin, how have you been? I haven't seen you around." She says, completing ignoring me.

"I've been working." He says.

"Oh, is she one of your workers?" She asks, looking at me for a split second.

"I work for her aunt."

"Oh, is she paying you to hang out with her?"

I roll my eyes and cross my arms. Austin sets his cup down, "No. I hang out with her because I enjoy it, very much."

Now she crosses her arms and taps her food, popping her gum at the same time. Are you kidding? "I don't see why." She says, looking me up at down.

"I don't see why he ever dated you." I say, shrugging. Austin laughs from beside me.

"Don't worry sweetie, he would never date somebody like you."

"Amber…" Austin warns.

"No, it's true. I mean look at her. She's not a country girl. Her hair is frizzy, and she can't even pull off that outfit."

I roll my eyes, "And you're crazy."

"I'll show you crazy." She says and starts to charge towards me but Austin stands between us.

"You leave her alone; now."

"Aw, you need Austin to protect you? Why don't you just go home and cry to your mother."

_Go home and cry to your mother._ The words echo in my head over and over. My mother… She's dead.

Tears well up in my eyes and I can tell Amber is loving it, "Yeah, well I would love to go home and cry to my mother, if she wasn't dead!" I yell. The whole room goes quiet and everyone looks at me. I turn around and run out of the barn.


	7. Chapter 7

I start to cry. I can finally, completely, cry for the first time. I run past Austin's truck and towards the road, but I have no idea where I'm going. I hear footsteps behind me and I start to slow down, my lungs tightening up.

"Ally, wait!" Austin yells.

He catches up fast and grabs my arm, stopping me completely. He steps in front of me and bends down a bit to look at me but I turn my face to the side, "Ally, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought you here. I had no idea about your mother either."

"I- I know."

He grabs my waist and pulls me to him, hugging me tightly. I wrap my arms around his neck as much as my short body will allow me to reach and cry into his chest for a while. He doesn't move away, he just holds me until my tears dry out.

When I've finally got myself together I pull away from him and look up. His face is full of concern as he searches my own, "I'm sorry." I tell him.

"Don't be sorry. I think you needed to get that all out."

I nod, "I d-did."

"Come on, let's go to my truck. We'll go watch the fireflies."

And so we drive back home and park in our usual spot and sit next to each other. I stare off ahead but I'm not really looking at the fireflies, and I feel Austin's eyes on me too. I sigh, "My mom died a couple weeks before I came here."

"I'm sorry." He says.

"She got in a car accident. It was storming badly, and she hit the guardrail. They say they _think_ she died instantly." Suddenly, he grabs my hand that's rested on my thigh and holds it softly.

"And then, my dad, he just drank his sorrows away," I say, and my eyes start to water again.

"When he's drinking, all he says is I look too much like her and he doesn't want to see me. So he decided to send me away. It's like I lost both parents, not just one." I say, choking back tears, "And it's not like I really care about my ex, but he broke up with me when I was already going through all of that. I was completely alone. What did I do to deserve all of this?"

Austin scoots as close as he can to me and wraps both arms around me. I look at him and he stares into my eyes, "You didn't deserve any of it." He whispers.

"My aunt kept telling me to talk about it with someone, but I just couldn't. But I feel better not that I told you."

"I'm glad you told me." He says, brushing one of my loose hairs out of my face, putting it behind my ear. I rest my head against his chest. He puts his chin on my head.

"Everyone told Amber off at the party. I think she kind of felt bad, which is a step for her. There's still no excuse for her actions."

"It's not like she knew. But still. And I guess I don't blame her for not being over you. You're amazing."

I feel him kiss my head, "So are you."

()()()()()()()()

The next morning, Austin eats breakfast with us. My aunt made eggs and bacon and the three of us eat in silence. My mom used to always say 'you know the food is good when everyone is too busy eating to talk'. Even though we were silent, Austin kept smiling at me from across the table.

"What's on the agenda for today?" my aunt asks as we pick up.

"Well if Ally wants to, I was thinking of having her come to my house for a bit. Show her around."

I nod, "Sure."

"Just be back for supper!" my aunt says and I roll my eyes.

After Austin finishes up a couple of chores, we drive over to his house which is only a fifteen minute drive. Little did I know he lives on a small farm… I don't know why I'm surprised. His house is not as big as my aunts, but it's just as nice.

"You don't work on your own farm?" I ask as we get out of his truck.

He laughs, "I help out, but your aunt is my first choice."

We walk into his house and it's very nice. There are a lot of pictures hanging on the walls, and lots of nice furniture. I even see a piano in the living room. When we get to the kitchen, his father is sitting at the table reading a newspaper, "Hi dad." Austin says, getting his attention.

He looks up at us and takes his glasses off. He stands up and grins, "Hello. You must be Ally."

I nod and shake his hand, "Hi Mr. Moon."

"Call me Mike." He says.

"I thought I'd bring her here to hang out for a change."

"I just hope you at least cleaned your room." He says and laughs. Austin rolls his eyes.

"Come on." he says to me.

I follow him upstairs and to his room. It looks like a boy's room; posters of cars on the walls, a gaming system in front of his television, a bed that hasn't been made, and some clothes on the floor. But it sure wasn't messy.

"Did you clean up?" I tease.

He shakes his head, "You wish!"

"Oh, do i?" I ask.

"Don't make me tickle you."

"You wouldn't dare." I threaten, putting my hands on my hips.

Sure enough, he starts tickling my sides and I go crazy, "Stop!" I say, trying to push him away but he is a lot stronger than me. He pulls me to him and keeps tickling me before I start to fall over from giggling so much, causing him to go down with me and we land on his bed, him landing on top of me. We stop laughing and he looks me in the eyes and my heart starts beating so fast I thought it was going to pop right out of my chest.

"I win." He says.

I try to calm my breathing, even though I don't think it's from being tickled anymore, "I surrender." I say lowly.

"Oh do you." He says; his voice low.

He rolls off of me then and I sigh. He puts his hand out to help me up and I take it. Then we go on a tour of his house, and his farm. A handful of workers run it. He has a lot of cows and pigs, and a few horses. He told me that this was his mother's dream, and after she passed away, his father kept it going to honor her, even though he doesn't work it much himself.

"How did your mom die?" I ask him.

"She worked part time at a factory. She was running one of the machines and something went wrong…"

"Wow. I'm so sorry."

He nods, "I know."

After a little while of silence as he showed me around, he suddenly perks up, "I'm going to show you one of my secret spots."

I smile, "Okay."

We walk towards a wooded area, on a trail. As we walk, he reaches over and grabs my hand. I look at our interlocked hands and then up at him. He smiles down at me and my cheeks turn red. We walk hand in hand until we finally reach his secret spot, that just so happens to be a strawberry field. I look up at him in confusion, "This is a secret spot?"

He nods, "No one knows about it."

"How do they not know?" I ask.

"Well, its way out here, and my mother and I planted these bushes together. So she and I were the only ones that knew about it; until now."

"Thank you for sharing something this special with me." I say to him.

"You're special." He says and squeezes my hand.

We walk around and pick strawberries until our hands are full and take a seat in a clearing in the middle of all of them and snack on them. It really is beautiful and quiet out here. I mean, we have our own personally never ending supply of strawberries, how cool is that?

"These are so good."

"Have you never had fresh strawberries before?" He asks and laughs.

"I don't believe so."

He coughs, "City girl." And coughs again and I roll my eyes.

It's getting late and we know we can't be late for dinner with my aunt so we say goodbye to his dad and head back to my house. Austin holds my hand the whole drive home and well, I grin like idiot, like usual. And he sings along to his favorite country songs.


End file.
